I'm sorry that this is a little shorter than usual. It won't be long before everything picks up!
"Now that is a spirit I know!" North grinned. "I have talked with Cupid many times."
"Huh, you know her?" Jack asked. North nodded at him.
"Yes, I talked with her when she was apprenticing for the former Cupid."
"Is there a rule about that?" Julius asked. "Does every spirit have to apprentice before they retire from whatever they do?"
"Not necessarily. Some spirits, like Old Man Winter, as Jack can tell you, take off without a word."
Jack, who had been picking at the candies in another cookie, glanced up at this.
"Most of the seasonal spirits talk with Mother Nature about their possible successors," North continued. "And she makes the decision for them. It is not mandatory to train up a new spirit."
"Woulda been nice to have something, though!" Jack said, tossing the candies to the still-hungry elves.
"So is it decided that we're going to visit Cupid? I've haven't been around to chat with her in a while." North shooed the elves away as he began to clean up the counter.
"Yeah, whenever we all come together again." Jack scoffed. The others paused, sharing a nervous glance. He probably hadn't meant to sound so bitter about it still.
"We can hold meeting tomorrow, after this day of rest!" North clapped his hands together. "We will decide everything together then."
"I guess that's what we'll do." Jack sighed. He spun his staff in one hand and started toward the door. "Tomorrow, we meet Cupid, the next day...I dunno, who should be next? Who's someone the Kangaroo won't try to fight with?"
"How about we worry over that when we get to it, and do something fun today?" Julius said, putting his arm around Jack's shoulder. "I've always wanted to visit Santa's Workshop!"
"Of course, a tour!" North hustled ahead of the pair. "Naturally, it is the product of the wishes of all the world's children…"
As North began to talk more and more about the wondrous features of the workshop, Jack watched Julius' face. He was clearly invested, his eyes almost sparkling. He seemed to be paying extra attention to toys that North claimed were specially-made for certain kids. Jack felt a lump in his throat. He didn't want to shrug away his friend, who he could see had more than one motive to looking around the workshop like this.
Julius, though he'd cooled down over the decades, had a quick temper and an unwavering sense of justice about many things. He didn't like seeing tempers rise in his friends, however, so he tried to diffuse situations as often as he could. He knew the effects of unchecked emotions.
As a result, Julius was a very good actor.
Jack knew that he wouldn't bring up the question that surely burned in his mind. Not right now, anyway. Jack continued to watch Julius' face as they followed North around. He was still looking around with wide eyes. His mouth was closed, but he gave a quiet gasp a couple of times. Who could blame him? Things were flying around, magic was working in every color, toys of all kinds were being constructed and decorated and tested. It was the dream-come-true of anyone who'd ever heard of Santa Claus.
Jack dragged the butt of his staff on the floor. Fern-leaf frost patterns trailed behind it. North was probably trying to ease tensions, too, even after they'd had that talk. He really did care, and Jack still didn't know how to respond to it.
Julius gave an excited yelp and ran off, nearly tripping the zoned-out Jack. When Jack looked over to see what had happened, he realized that Julius was looking at a collection of ocean-themed toys. Mechanical fish were flying around, plush sea turtles were moving in groups along the floor, dolphins were doing tricks in floating water bubbles. There was pure joy on Julius' slack-jawed face.
Jack smiled. Something buzzed past his ear, and he ducked. It was another toy plane, and it landed at a tiny airport made of building blocks. A snowflake-shaped kite spun in the air as it rose to the ceiling on a simulated wind current. Jack smiled wider.
Maybe things would be just fine.
I would love to see the inside of the workshop~ I bet it changes a good deal every year.
Thank you so much for reading!